When President Donald Trump announced his White House run in 2015, he said he planned to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and "I will have Mexico pay for that wall."

During his campaign stops in Iowa and across the country, Trump claimed Mexico would pay for the border wall, often prompting, "build the wall" cheers across the crowd.

But on Thursday, he told White House reporters that he never said Mexico would "directly" pay for it.

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President Donald Trump enters the Mid-America Center to a standing-room-only crowd during a rally on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Council Bluffs.(Photo: Kelsey Kremer/The Register)

"When, during the campaign, I would say, 'Mexico is going to pay for it' — obviously, I never said this; I never meant they're going to write out a check," Trump told reporters before departing for a review of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.

"I said they're going to pay for it. They are," Trump said.

He said Thursday that Mexico would pay for the wall through the reduced trade deficit he believes will result from his renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

At least five times in Iowa, Trump said that Mexico would pay for the wall, not citing re-negotiations or indirect means.

Here are some of those moments:

Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines

"Hundreds of thousands of people are coming in. I would build a wall the likes of which nobody has seen before. I'm a really good builder. Have you heard that? I really know how to build. I build very, very tall, beautiful buildings and they do well. And you know who'd pay for the wall — Mexico. Because they've been screwing us so badly, frankly, they're going to have to pay. They'll pay."

Marshalltown

"Right now, we are losing so much money each year because of the illegal immigrants — people that are in our country illegally. Hundreds of billions of dollars — people don't realize that. They say, 'Oh, it will cost a lot of money to build a wall.' First of all, Mexico is going to pay for the wall. And the reason Mexico is going to pay? You know, a lot of people think — like some of the politicians — 'Well, you can't get Mexico' — well, of course you can. They're making a fortune off the United States, in terms of trade," Trump said.

"They are going to pay for plenty. I have great relationships with Mexico. I have great relationships with the Mexican people," Trump said.

Clive

"I'm going to stop illegal immigration and I'm going to stop drugs from pouring into our country. And yes we will build a wall and you're right, Mexico will pay for the wall. They will pay for the wall," he said.